In fact, she authorized only one biography — “Erma Bombeck: Writer and Humorist” (Contemporary Women Series), published by Enslow Publishing in 1992 — and only because its target audience was for young people, says the biography’s author, Lynn Colwell.
Recently, a move from Tucson, Ariz., to Redmond, Wash., prompted Lynn to sort through items she’d stored away in her home. In doing so, she came across all of her notes and audiotapes of her interview with Erma as she worked on the book.
The book, though out of print, is the basis for the online Erma Bombeck museum, sponsored by the University of Dayton and the Bombeck family. The museum may be viewed at www.ermamuseum.org.
Erma, who died in 1996, was known for her best-selling witty books and her widely syndicated humor column. Her books are still perennial best-sellers.
“I held on to everything from my research for the book,” Lynn says. “My interview with her, as well as interviews with her agent and friends, notes, and so forth. I realized that I didn’t need this material any more, and so I called University of Dayton and was put in contact with Teri Rizvi. I asked if University of Dayton would like the materials for the Bombeck collection. And I’m happy that I received an enthusiastic ‘Yes!’ ”
The tapes will be digitized, explains Teri, who is executive director of communication strategies at University of Dayton and founder of the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop, which launched in the year 2000.
“Digitizing the tapes will take a while, but eventually they and the other materials will be available to the public via the online museum and the archives,” Teri says. “It’s a significant gift because Lynn wrote the only authorized biography of Erma Bombeck. For the first time, we will hear Erma talk about her life in her words. This will help writers and scholars understand her remarkable legacy and cultural impact.”
For Lynn, researching and writing the book is a cherished memory.
“I’ve always admired Erma and her work,” Lynn says. “The first book by her that I read was ‘I Lost Everything in the Post-Natal Depression,’ and it was appropriately timed, because I’d just given birth. I was a bit frustrated as a new mom, but this made me laugh out loud. And yet, her humor had an underlying usefulness and helpfulness.”
Lynn, who is the mother of three children and now grandmother of five, herself went on to become a writer.
“I loved magazines, and decided I’d focused on writing for them,” she says. Her writing career included articles for Reader’s Digest, Family Circle, trade magazines and other publications. “At one point, I wrote a fan letter to Erma, and much to my amazement she wrote back a very nice letter,” she says.
Eventually, Lynn queried Enslow about the possibility of writing a biography of Jean Nguyen, the first Vietnam-born female graduate of West Point. Though Enslow declined that proposal, a few years later, the publisher contacted Lynn and asked if she’d be interested in writing about Erma Bombeck for its Contemporary Women series for young readers.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Lynn said. “Erma was my hero! Of course I said yes. Erma was dedicated to writing — she was talented, of course, but she also worked hard — and I wanted kids to see that through this book.”
Shortly after agreeing to the project, though, nervousness set in.
“Frankly, I was scared out of my wits, both because this was my first book length project and because I so admired Erma,” Lynn says. “But when I met with her at her home in Arizona,” said Lynn, who was also living in that state at the time, “it felt like talking to an old friend. All of my nervousness disappeared. She couldn’t have been kinder. We laughed and laughed, but also I saw Erma’s depth.”
It’s that hallmark blend of humor, kindness and depth that keeps readers enchanted with Erma, and keeps writers hoping to learn from her tradition.
The next Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop will be held March 31-April 2, 2016, at University of Dayton. Registration opens Dec. 1.
Keep up with registration information and news about Lynn's gift to University of Dayton via the free Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop enewsletter. To subscribe, send an email to erma@udayton.edu.
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